This is one of those books that made me laugh out loud, repeatedly, throughout the story. Jerome K. Jerome's writing style is not only humorous and de...moreThis is one of those books that made me laugh out loud, repeatedly, throughout the story. Jerome K. Jerome's writing style is not only humorous and detailed, but still spot on regarding human quirks and opinions 125 years after the story was first written. I still can't believe that I had not heard of this book before...it is its own kind of masterpiece!
Favorite Quotes:
"I called for the cheeses, and took them away in a cab. It was a ramshackle affair, dragged along by a knock kneed, broken-winded somnambulist, which his owner, in a moment of enthusiasm, during conversation, referred to as a horse. I put the cheeses on the top, and we started off at a shamble that would have done credit to the swiftest steamroller ever built..."
[After two of them attempt to put up the soaking wet canvas tent, and the third friend is exhausted from baling out the boat, J., George, and Harris discover...] "Rainwater is the chief article of diet at supper. The bread is two-thirds rainwater, the beefsteak-pie is exceedingly rich in it, and the jam, and the butter, and the salt, and the coffee have all combined with it to make soup."
"To look at Montmorency you would imagine that he was an angel sent upon the earth, for some reason withheld from mankind, in the shape of a small fox-terrier. There is a sort of Oh-what-a-wicked-world-this-is-and-how-I-wish-I-could-do-something-to-make-it-better-and-nobler expression about Montmorency that has been known to bring the tears into the eyes of pious old ladies and gentlemen......yet this dog was born with about four times as much original sin as other dogs.......Montmorency's ambition in life, is to get in the way and be sworn at. If he can squirm in anywhere where he is particularly not wanted, and be a perfect nuisance, and make people mad, and have things thrown at his head, then he feels his day has not been wasted."
"George had rather a curious oilskin-covered parcel in his hand. It was round and flat at one end, with a long straight handle sticking out of it. 'What's that?' said Harris, 'a frying pan?' 'No,' said George, with a strange, wild look glittering in his eyes; 'they are all the rage this season; everybody has got them up the river. It's a banjo.' "
"And Harris never sees what an ass he is making of himself, and how he is annoying a lot of people who never did him any harm. He honestly imagines that he has given them a treat, and says he will sing another comic song after supper." (less)
Not only do I love the main characters' names (Katri Kling and Anna Aemelin), but I was totally engaged throughout the story! It is exquisite in its s...moreNot only do I love the main characters' names (Katri Kling and Anna Aemelin), but I was totally engaged throughout the story! It is exquisite in its simplicity, yet addresses social mores and assumptions with depth. I was trying to predict which character, Katri or Anna, would have the most profound effect on the other throughout the entire book. This story is very well done...I definitely recommend!
Favorite quotes from The True Deceiver "She dreamed that she carried the unread letters out onto the ice, far out to the dark pile of abandoned but once cherished possessions, now shoved ruthlessly into a heap, and there she dumped them--the pleas of unknown correspondents, their confidences, their clever suggestions. She just threw them, and they flew away in a blizzard of letter paper, an endless, boundless postal storm, flew up to heaven in a single great reproach..."
"The truth needs to be hammered in with iron spikes, but no one can drive nails into a mattress!"
"Anna had given the dog a name because nameless things have a tendency to grow. She stripped the animal of his menace by calling him Teddy." (less)
This is now one of my favorites. Verissimo does such an amazing job with his characters' traits, I had a clear picture in my imagination of their tem...more This is now one of my favorites. Verissimo does such an amazing job with his characters' traits, I had a clear picture in my imagination of their temperament and body language tendencies to the extent that I felt like I knew Vogelstein, Rotkopf, Cuervo, and Borges personally. The story was very clever and entertaining (especially such subtly important components as Aleph the cat and the Japanese man who got knocked over twice). I was inspired to read two works by Edgar Allan Poe, The Gold-bug and The Murders in the Rue Morgue; both of these short stories are alluded to throughout. I enjoyed this whole experience so much that I will be offering Borges and the Eternal Orangutans together with Edgar Allan Poe Complete Tales & Poems in my upcoming "Leap Into Books" giveaway on my book blog.(less)
Great convoluted story, darkly humorous and ironic...I was pleasantly surprised. Senior citizen hell bent on revenge (justifiably so), sets out to des...moreGreat convoluted story, darkly humorous and ironic...I was pleasantly surprised. Senior citizen hell bent on revenge (justifiably so), sets out to destroy a doctor and his family with surprises throughout. (less)
This book was such a pleasant surprise! I absolutely love the two main characters - two QUIRKY brothers. Great mix of humor and emotion and life event...moreThis book was such a pleasant surprise! I absolutely love the two main characters - two QUIRKY brothers. Great mix of humor and emotion and life events.(less)
I don't think, until now, I've come across such a cold-hearted, calculating, self-centered, controlling female character. Holy smoke...she needs some...moreI don't think, until now, I've come across such a cold-hearted, calculating, self-centered, controlling female character. Holy smoke...she needs some therapy! (less)
I found Niagara Falls to be a wonderfully interesting setting for this story and its characters. Of course, having never been there, I want to go to b...moreI found Niagara Falls to be a wonderfully interesting setting for this story and its characters. Of course, having never been there, I want to go to both the Canadian and American sides of the river and falls, and check out the spots mentioned in the book.(less)
This is the first book in an engaging and imagery-rich series written by Jacqueline Winspear. Maisie Dobbs, the main character, is a grounded, working...moreThis is the first book in an engaging and imagery-rich series written by Jacqueline Winspear. Maisie Dobbs, the main character, is a grounded, working class to well-educated, keenly observant, and dignified woman with vast, often unexpected, life experiences. As the story begins, she has just opened her own private detective agency in London, England, 1929, ten years after World War I.
Maisie Dobbs, the book, is a wonderful introduction to Maisie herself, as well as the other characters of depth, Billy Beale, Lady Rowan Compton, Maurice Blanche, Frankie Dobbs, Simon Lynch, Enid, Mrs. Crawford, and Priscilla who all play key roles in the past, present, and future life of Maisie. Just as Maisie is determined to genuinely help those who seek her service, she simultaneously and inevitably takes a closer look at her own emotions and opinions.
As I read, I was very impressed with the author's impeccable word choices, engaging characters, and interwoven plot. I definitely recommend this to people who are looking to get lost in another era where people tended to have a sense of themselves as part of the greater good, being accountable, respectful, and philanthropic.
Favorite quotes: "Stay with the question. The more it troubles you, the more it has to teach you."
"The feeling inside that she experienced when she saw the books was akin to the hunger she felt as food was put on the table at the end of the working day."
"And so another storyteller fell asleep that night thinking not of the telling of the story but of the possibilities inherent in color and texture."
"Maisie sighed deeply and rubbed her neck at the place where worry always sat when it was making itself at home."
"It's a sorry state of affairs if you can't give your elders and betters a minute or two to find the ticket."
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